guilty about not treating my dog right

[amusingmargaret]

my dog is about 10 now. i’m pretty sure he’s healthy (he’s getting a check up soon) so he should still have a few more years with us. i got him when i was pretty young (about 7-8) and i was young so i couldn’t walk him by myself or anything. nowadays i try to walk him more but then i get worried abt schoolwork and end up skipping a lot of days. i’ve decided i need to change this so i might even wake up early and start walking him before school so it’s not cutting into my work time.

i’m also tryna convince my parents to let him chill inside. basically i’m tryna make his life good now. i want him to have the best last years of his life. but i don’t know if that can really make up for the last 10 years.
he was fed well and looked after, but he’s an outside dog and he’s walked/played with very irregularly. i guess my family just doesn’t realise how much attention a dog needs.

so yeah obviously i should make the last years of his life as good as i can, but do u think it can make up for it? will he just like remember the last good years?

 

[jenndoglady]

@amusingmargaret It’s never too late to start. Take advantage of every moment you have with him. Dogs are pack animals and want to be around and interact with their family. Dogs live in the moment, he will absolutely love time with you, please give it to him as much as you can

 

[amusingmargaret]

@jenndoglady thank you i just wish i could’ve realised earlier than now but i will do all i can

 

[kath141]

@amusingmargaret My dog passed away a few months ago at 14, but one of my biggest regrets is that I didn't take better care of his teeth. I regret not paying for surgery to clean/repair his mouth more than I can possibly express. We did end up correcting the problem, but it was years after it should have been and it kills me.

Start trying to fix it as soon as you can, thats all you can do

 

[m7callis]

@kath141 That is important, thanks for posting. I’m going to get my dog’s teeth cleaned and your post was a good reminder to make an appointment. Therefore you’ve done something to help other dogs, hope that makes you feel better!

 

[monna]

@kath141 My dog passed this February at the age of 15/16. My dog had a dental specialist flying in from another state to do all his cleanings and 2 root canals. So we spent a ton on his dental care. But yet I still live with a lot of regret about not taking better care of his teeth. We will be getting his puppy around the first of the year and have already made a dental plan to brush his teeth daily starting right when we get him at week 9 so that he is used to it from a young age.

 

[kath141]

@monna Good on you, my friend. I think we have to remember that despite what we blame ourselves for, our best friends managed to live until well past the average age, especially in your case making it to almost 16. It's no excuse, but I have to think we did alright in the grand scheme. That's what I tell myself, anyway.

I haven't been able to explore getting a new puppy yet, I just end up missing my boy

 

[monna]

@kath141 I wouldn't even consider another dog right now if it wasnt "his" puppy(100% genetically identical). He was my service dog and my soulmate and I couldnt imagine bonding to another dog like I did him. While his puppy will be different, it's still a peice of him and I hope that he will also be a equally competent service dog and companion. Plus I really miss seeing those fluffy butt pants.

 

[gustavowoltmann]

@monna

100% genetically identical

Wait so like a clone or just a pup he sired?

 

[monna]

@gustavowoltmann He was neutered so the puppy is being brought into the world via essentially IVF technology and surrogacy, so yes his DNA will be injected into an egg vs actual sperm. While he will be a clone, we strongly recognize that he will have his own personality, which is why we look at him as a puppy of my service dog. This process does give us a bit of a crystal ball into his future health. Environmental factors of course can effect that but some core things we get to do right from the start.

Tay was 2 years old when I got him for free off Ebay of all places. From what I know from his previous owners, he spent his life locked in a bathroom because they both worked 18 hours a day at the casinos and had never been to a vet in his life. I've always wished I could be there from the time he was a puppy. From those simple thoughts like what did he look like as a puppy? To the bigger things like was about his health, nutrition and personality if he had a different upbringing. He turned out perfectly but I still feel so much guilt that he deserved more.

But the question that always remains... if you knew what you know now, what would you do differently?

We plan to have a daily checklist and record our progress. I had a harddrive fail and lost all of my photos of Tay before the age of ten. We dont want to lose a second with his puppy. There is a lot of reflection, but there is also a lot of hope and excitement for this next chapter with our new dog and his training to become my new service companion.

While this is an incredibly controversial decision, it was throughly researched and is the right choice for us. There is a lot of misinformation out there on cloning and I hope to someday add some normalcy to it by documenting our journey.

 

[tasha93]

@monna Wait how do they just get DNA instead of the actual sperm to fertilize the egg??

 

[monna]

@tasha93 They stimulate the egg with a small electrical current to encourage the egg to begin to develop.

 

[kenhensley]

@monna My husband brushes our dog's teeth when he brushes his, keeps the dog stuff in a container next to our toothbrushes. I know it sounds gross to keep it there but it's a really helpful reminder.

 

[iejezquel]

@kenhensley I don't think that sounds gross

 

[karla1962]

@kenhensley Not gross at all. Dogs mouths are cleaner than humans.

 

[parousia1]

@kenhensley If you're not actually sharing a toothbrush with the dog it doesn't sound nasty.

 

[gfellowships]

@kenhensley Not gross at all, my dogs kiss me on the mouth… lol same thing

 

[parousia1]

@gfellowships I used to love puppy kisses on the mouth. Then I started taking her for walks in the town and noticed where else that face was going... (it was into a load of dried dog piss when she was checking her peemails)

 

[moomoomeow2]

@kath141 Totally agree about the teeth. I wish I had done the same because now it is cost prohibitive to repair my dogs teeth. He's 12. I feel so so guilty. If you have a dog make sure you brush his teeth on a regular basis!

 

[aleezay]

@kath141 My vet gave me the best shortcut ever to clean teeth. Meaty RAW bones. They're a bit pricey, but you can freeze and re-use for a while. In the long run, it is waaay cheaper and safer than dental cleaning, which often requires sedation, Which is harder on older dogs. You want to make sure they are raw bones and NOT cooked rawhide as those are choking and obstruction hazards. And you'll want to supervise. 20 minutes of chewing a week will get that tartar right off. I have a 12 year old and 13 year old --both with great teeth. Tucker's sells raw meaty bones and you can get them at local pet stores or online. Petsmart and Petco won't have them. You can also order online. Make sure they are too big so can't be swallowed (I get Bison 4 inch 2 pack for about $20).